Gestational Diabetes

Abstract

ALTHOUGH much has been written about the harmful effects on pregnancy of diabetes mellitus and its earlier stages,^{1 2 3} variously termed suspected diabetes, latent diabetes and prediagnosis diabetes or prediabetes, there is disagreement about the diagnostic criteria. The answer to this situation is complicated by problems of definition, confused by spontaneous remissions and hindered by lack of well documented longitudinal studies with the available diagnostic tools, which are, unfortunately, far from ideal. As a result claims are made for the predictive value of minor deviations in glucose tolerance whether produced artificially by glucogenic steroids⁴ or naturally by conditions with diabetogenic effects . . .